China Semester

South of the Clouds

A 3-Month Gap Year Program

Duration

Description

Study Mandarin, trek on the Tibetan Plateau, delve into the complexities of the world’s most populous nation.

* College Credit Available

Spring Dates

Feb 7 - May 1, 2020

Spring Availability

open

Fall Dates

Sep 15 - Dec 6, 2019

Fall Availability

accepting waitlist

Number of Participants

12

Suggested Ages

17-22

Spring Begins In

21 Weeks

Fall Begins In

0Days

Land Cost

$15,200

Estimated Flight Cost

$1,750

Beijing

Kunming

Chengdu

Xiahe

Xi'an

Program Overview

China. Few countries evoke the same curiosity and intense fascination.

With 5,000 years of history and an expansive tapestry of cultures, China offers Dragons semester students insight into China’s diversity and opportunities to form deep relationships with people and strong connections to place. We go beyond the contemporary image of China, represented by booming cities and rapid economic change, traveling also to remote wilderness areas and living with rural host families in the mountains of the southwest. By exploring little-seen sides of this vast country, we challenge many of the preconceived notions we have about China and about our home communities. Inventive travel experiences are balanced with a strong language curriculum and a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary exploration of Modern Chinese history and economic development, society, and cultural tradition.

Kunming – southeast of the Tibetan Plateau, within a day’s travel of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam – is our home for six weeks of the program. This “City of Eternal Spring” is the capital…

With 5,000 years of history and an expansive tapestry of cultures, China offers Dragons semester students insight into China’s diversity and opportunities to form deep relationships with people and strong connections to place. We go beyond the contemporary image of China, represented by booming cities and rapid economic change, traveling also to remote wilderness areas and living with rural host families in the mountains of the southwest. By exploring little-seen sides of this vast country, we challenge many of the preconceived notions we have about China and about our home communities. Inventive travel experiences are balanced with a strong language curriculum and a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary exploration of Modern Chinese history and economic development, society, and cultural tradition.

Kunming – southeast of the Tibetan Plateau, within a day’s travel of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam – is our home for six weeks of the program. This “City of Eternal Spring” is the capital of Yunnan Province, and it is an ideal base from which to explore Han Chinese/minority relations, economic reforms and development, environmental concerns, and China’s rich history. Through guest lectures, discussions and mentored community engagement, we explore traditional Chinese approaches to healing, cooking, fitness, martial arts, dance, and music. In Kunming, students live independently with Chinese host families, many of whom represent the “new middle class” within contemporary urban society. At the Dragons Program House, we gather for Chinese language study, work on Independent Study Projects, hear from visiting scholars, and cook traditional meals with fresh foods purchased at the local market.

Building on all we’ve learned and experienced in Kunming, we begin our travel phase, focusing on China’s western corridor and exploring Guizhou, Sichuan, Qinghai, Ningxia and Gansu Provinces. Each semester’s travel itinerary is different, guided by the contacts and regional knowledge of the instructor team as well as group decisions and interests. Past groups have traversed the dramatic valleys of the Hengduan Mountains in Northwestern Yunnan, through deep river valleys between snow-capped peaks, along mountain roads that connect remote Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, through ethnically Tibetan, Pumi, Lisu, Yi and Naxi areas. Others have hiked through dense bamboo forests to visit isolated mountain homes in northeastern Guizhou, where family elders look after young children whose parents have left to work as laborers in the cities. We visit Qinghai Province, historically part of the Tibetan kingdom of Amdo, living there with families who still rely on their yak herds, and learning at the feet of master tangka painters. During our travels, the student group takes on greater leadership, culminating in a week-long student planned and led “Expedition Phase.” With a broad curriculum and an itinerary designed to explore all of the variety this country has to offer, our semester program offers an unparalleled comprehensive overview of China today.

For-Credit Course Option

In order to deepen your experience abroad, you may elect to enroll in a college-level language course while participating on the China Gap semester program. Those who enroll in an optional course will be invoiced additional fees on top of the land cost, as noted below.

For-Credit Course Fees (1 course)

Type

$800

Transcript Fee

$400

For-Credit Academic Fee

$1,200

TOTAL COST

Students who take a course for-credit will receive a transcript from Dragons School of Record after successful completion of the program. To read more about the for-credit courses visit our FAQ Page.

Academics

The optional for-credit language course is worth 4 semester credits and is offered at a variety of levels. Included below are course descriptions for the language courses available:

CHIN 150: Mandarin I (Chinese Language 150; 4 credits) This course introduces students to standard Mandarin Chinese language and is designed for students with no or minimal previous background in spoken or written Mandarin. Students in this course focus on learning essential vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, and understanding simple grammatical structures. This knowledge prepares students to effectively communicate in Mandarin on a limited range of topics related to everyday situations. Students practice listening and speaking in real-life situations, learn to read and write Chinese characters, and examine how culture and language interact in China. In-class activities and course assignments aim to assist students as they develop the oral proficiency and confidence necessary to initiate simple conversations. Out-of-classroom experiences such a field trips and guided interactions with native speakers supplement formal classroom instruction and provide ample opportunities for practical engagement. In addition, language skills gained in this course support students to deepen participation in other program and academic activities such as homestays and the Independent Study Project.

CHIN 250: Mandarin II (Chinese Language 250; 4 credits) This course introduces students to more challenging standard Mandarin Chinese language material in order to establish a solid foundation for the use of the language. Students in this course focus on building on past language exposure to improve speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Students expand their oral expression abilities by increasing vocabulary, improving understanding of grammar concepts, strengthening pronunciation abilities, focusing on listening comprehension, and building on previously studied Chinese characters. This course introduces new language concepts to allow students to speak about topics pertaining to their daily lives and also focuses on deepening knowledge of Chinese culture and customs. By the end of the semester, students are expected to be able to engage in basic daily conversations, read simple texts, and write for daily needs. In-class activities and course assignments aim to assist students as they develop the ability to appropriately use language and improve proficiency. Out-of-classroom experiences such a field trips and guided interactions with native speakers supplement formal classroom instruction and provide ample opportunities for practical engagement. In addition, language skills gained in this course support students to deepen participation in other program and academic activities such as homestays and the Independent Study Project.

CHIN 350: Mandarin III (Chinese Language 350; 4 credits) This course is designed to develop advanced skills in standard Mandarin Chinese language and is intended for students with extensive prior exposure to the language. This course focuses on consolidating linguistic knowledge and development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Students in this course will develop advanced comprehension of and competence in using spoken Mandarin in a wide-variety of experiences. Grammatical functions will be reviewed and incorporated as they relate to particular communication needs. A mix of communicative and interactive methods are used to develop advanced proficiency and materials are drawn from a variety of media sources and texts. In addition, students develop their understanding of the relationship between the Chinese language and culture. By the end of the semester, students are expected to be able to express sophisticated and nuanced ideas both orally and in writing. Out-of-classroom experiences such a field trips and guided interactions with native speakers supplement formal classroom instruction and provide ample opportunities for practical engagement. In addition, language skills gained in this course support students to deepen participation in other program and academic activities such as homestays and the Independent Study Project.

In addition, you may petition to take an additional for-credit course in order to earn a total of 8 semester credits. Other courses which may be available upon petition, include Regional Seminar, Independent Study Project (ISP): Methods and Application, or Intercultural Development and Global Citizenship. Contact us with questions about for-credit course options, to learn about registration deadlines, or for copies of sample syllabi.

Development Studies

Focus Of Inquiry

Ancient, imperial and modern history, political studies, social issues in modern China, development of market economy, gender and race studies, cultural and environmental preservation, Chinese philosophy.

5/5

Homestay

5-6 weeks of urban homestay in Kunming, one or two rural homestays in Yunnan, Qinghai or Sichuan villages.

Testimonials

What is so unique about Dragons is that they foster the opportunities and space for experiences like nomadic/rural homestays that would be really rare, hard, or even impossible to do by ourselves independently.

Amanda Tung

China: South of the Clouds Gap

"We were so incredibly impressed by this program; it far exceeded any expectations we had. What made it above and beyond was that the quality of the leaders and the intellectual scope of the participants."

Parents of Bryan Hopper China Semester: South of the Clouds

"The way I think and process things has fundamentally changed and I owe that to my Dragons experience.”

Laura Burke China Semester: South of the Clouds

"In addition to creating strong friendships, the rural homestays provided a new perspective on ethnic minorities in China."

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A Closer Look

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We were so incredibly impressed by this program....

“We were so incredibly impressed by this program; it far exceeded any expectations we had. The range of different opportunities experienced by the group was more than we could have imagined. What made it above and beyond was that the quality of the leaders and the intellectual scope of the participants.”

Parents of Bryan Hopper China Semester: South of the Clouds

This is How I Die

Well, this is it, I thought to myself at 2am on my first night in Shabrang. This is how I die. I had tiptoed out of my host family’s house to use the bathroom across their courtyard, and the only thing I could see in the pitch blackness of the Qinghai night were twenty monstrous, glowing green eyes reflected in the beam of my headlamp. My family’s flock of yaks was in for the night and was blocking my path. I sized up the situation, my breathing quickening as my pupils dilated enough for me to see their horns. I was about to meet my maker by being gored to death while simply trying to use the bathroom.
Of course, I didn’t perish in such an unfortunate way only three weeks into this trip to China, and I can now recount this experience and my panic with laughter. The same can be said for my entire experience here in Shabrang. I couldn’t shower for five days? I would have to try to communicate with a family I shared no language with? I would have to hike up Tibetan cliffs every day with my host sister to herd her sheep??? As our van drove over the half-finished road from Rebgong to the small village that would be the home for our first homestay, I prepared myself for pain, misery, and lots of stomach-churning yak meat.
Similar to my late-night trip to the bathroom, however, this unfamiliar experience did not hurt as I thought it would. In fact, this homestay has been one of the most singular and unique and wonderful things I’ve ever participated in. My family consists of a grandmother, grandfather, mother, and two children, a girl, age 14, and a boy, age 8. I may not be able to remember their extensive Amdo names or speak to most of them at all, but they have welcomed me into their family with as much warmth as though I were an honored diplomat or a long lost cousin. Very quickly, they discovered my passion for fantastic yogurt and forced bowls of rich shoo, or yak yogurt covered with sugar, into my hands so I could devour the most rich, thick, and incomparable liquid. They generally appear to be trying to fatten me up through the helpings of meat, insisting “Soo, soo, soo!!!” until I forcibly remove my plate from the room. They offer me the only seat at the table and sit on the floor, and protest endlessly when I try to help do the dishes, sweep, or cook (which I do anyway).
Perhaps they feel sorry for me and my seeming ignorance about EVERYTHING. My grandmother laughs as I attempt to wash my hair in a small bucket of water and takes over cleaning my scalp with as much strength and skill as an American barber before a haircut. As I stare helplessly at a leg of mutton on a massive leg-bone, my younger sister giggles as she takes a knife and cuts off pieces of the meat for me, bite by bite, as a mother would do for her toddler. I catch them looking at me with concern as I put my arms up uncertainly to block the escape route of a young sheep, and immediately feel shamed by my inability to contribute as much as I could
I accompany my host sister in her errand of collecting the baby yaks at the end of the day, climbing up like a mountain goat into the mountains behind the small village and continuously being awed by the nearly extraterrestrial landscape. I just finished reading a novelization of an old-testament story (The Red Tent), and can imagine the nomadic characters in the tale living here, in the square mud-houses in the valley, herding their own sheep in the grassy hills which can truly only be described as Tibetan. It’s a strange mix of a lush green and California-desert-tan world here, tucked away from the noise and distractions of the larger world.
Four days into this adventure, I still tiptoe around the precariously pointed horns of the yaks. I still feel uncertain as I watch my entire family clean the house while I sit still. But I don’t yearn for a shower. I look forward to the pantomiming what I want with my host family. I relish every hike into the hills to herd at sunset. Leaving this village will feel as strange as it once felt to enter it.